Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to the field of location aware computing. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention are related to a method and apparatus for location-based recovery of lost or stolen mobile devices.
Description
Location awareness is becoming increasingly important in computing systems, especially in mobile devices. Location awareness in mobile devices enables users to be directed to specific locations, to find people and resources, and to switch the operating context of the mobile device based on location (e.g., home vs. work). Currently, location awareness is implemented at the operating system or application level.
With the location awareness being implemented at the operating system or application level, if the mobile device is stolen, the thief may replace the encrypted hard drive, thereby causing the location awareness capability to be lost as well.
Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus for enabling a mobile device to have location awareness capabilities that cannot be removed with the removal of the hard drive. What is also needed is a method and apparatus for enabling a mobile device to be located when stolen, lost, misplaced, etc., using location awareness capabilities built into the mobile device.